1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a pneumatic tube carrier used for a pneumatic tube conveyor system, and more particularly to a pneumatic tube carrier able to carry one or more articles of various shapes and sizes while protecting them from shock.
2. Prior Art
Widely known in the past has been a pneumatic tube conveyor system which conveys pneumatic tube carriers carrying one or more articles through a pneumatic transport tube by air pressure. When conveying articles susceptible to shock carried in the pneumatic tube carrier, the general practice has been to protect the articles from shock by wrapping the article with a cushioning sheet or using a cushioning inner case prepared in advance to match the shape of the article (for example, see Japanese Unexamined Utility Model Publication (Kokai) No. 60-6719).
When wrapping an article by a cushioning sheet, however, since a sufficient shock resistance cannot be obtained when the wrapped article freely moves inside the pneumatic tube carrier, it is necessary to carefully wrap it so that there is no clearance between the wrapped article and the inside surface of the pneumatic tube carrier. Further, when the article has a complicated shape, the shape after the article is wrapped by the sheet also becomes complicated, so it becomes difficult to affix it inside the pneumatic tube carrier.
On the other hand, when using a previously prepared inner case, the shape of the article which can be carried in the inner case is limited, so it is not possible to carry articles of different shapes. Further, inner cases made in various different shapes become necessary for conveying articles of different shapes, so the economic burden increases and storage of the inner cases, etc. becomes troublesome.